


Downfall of a Madman

by digitaldreams



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Not Beta Read, almedha but she isn't bat shit in this version, ashnard is a bad father who knew, goldoa-centric fic bc those barely exist, instead of rajaion being turned into a feral one ashnard died, rajaion/ena is there but not a big part of the plot, yeah kind of a dramatic shift but i do what i want
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-09 23:52:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17414939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digitaldreams/pseuds/digitaldreams
Summary: Rajaion looked down at the bloodied and lifeless body of King Ashnard, breathing heavily. The adrenaline was still coursing through his veins, but he still realized what he had just done fully. He was going to be in for a hell of a lot of trouble when he got home...-----Ashnard set a trap for Rajaion, using his infant son as bait. However, Rajaion wasn't going down without a fight, and in the end, it was the downfall of a madman...





	Downfall of a Madman

Rajaion looked down at the bloodied and lifeless body of King Ashnard, breathing heavily. The adrenaline was still coursing through his veins, but he still realized what he had just done fully. He was going to be in for a hell of a lot of trouble when he got home.

Ashnard had sent him a letter two weeks ago, telling him had a hostage in the form of his son. Rajaion hadn't taken long to rush to Daein, knowing how relentless Ashnard could be and fearing for his nephew's life. His father had approved of the trip, asking him to return with Almedha as well.

Of course, he knew Dheginsea would never approve of his killing the king of Daein.

It wasn't as if he had been given a choice. Ashnard had immediately tried to kill him upon his arrival. Rajaion had been forced to lash out at him, and in the end, it had deadly consequences.

Rajaion didn't take long musing over what he had done. He had to find his nephew. He was supposed to be around here somewhere. Afterwards, he would have to get Almedha so they could return to Goldoa. They couldn't afford to linger here any longer.

He was currently in a villa about five miles from the palace. He and Ashnard had fought in the large entryway of the building. There was a small room nearby that could be reached via an ornate door. Rajaion took a few steps closer and sniffed the air. He could detect blood, but didn't belong to Ashnard.

Rajaion opened the door and looked inside. It was dark and messy. Vases were shattered on the floor. A bowl, the bottom of which was lined with water, had blood staining one side. The furniture smelled rotten as well.

That was when he saw the child.

He couldn't have been older than two, his dark hair spilled out on the carpet around him. There was a small pool of blood around his head, but it seemed to have mostly dried out. His chest was rising and falling slowly. To Rajaion, he almost looked dead.

The man rushed over to where the boy was laying. He was clearly unconscious and had been that way for quite some time. He was pale, even more so than Ashnard. He was warm with fever as well.

Rajaion didn't need any clues to know this was Ashnard's doing. He didn't know why any man would be so cruel to his own son, but he didn't have time to think on it. He had to get somewhere safe to nurse this poor child back to health.

He noticed not long after picking the boy up that there was blood in his hair. A small amount was trickling onto Rajaion's shirt. He figured a smashed vase had caused such a wound. It was Ashnard's fault, no doubt. Ashnard was known for being prone to angry spells, so it wasn't surprising that he had potentially given his child a concussion after growing irritated with him. It didn't make it any less despicable though.

Rajaion would have to walk back to the palace. He wouldn't be able to fly there with his nephew as hurt as he was without risking further injury. It wasn't something he was looking forward to, but what choice did he have?

\-----

Rajaion had been walking for a few hours and was roughly halfway to the keep when he felt stirring in his arms. He looked down and saw that his nephew was opening his eyes.

Rajaion stopped walking and leaned up against a bare tree. The cold air was biting at his skin, but he didn't focus on it. Instead, he leaned in close towards the young boy. "How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

The boy responded with a whimper, trying to escape Rajaion's grip by wiggling. He opened his mouth to say something, but it only came out as a whine.

Rajaion stroked through his hair with one hand. "It's okay," he soothed. "I'm your uncle, Rajaion. I'm your mother's older brother."

The boy stopped struggling upon hearing about his mother. He leaned in a bit closer and whimpered again.

"What's your name?" Rajaion asked him.

The boy swallowed before answering, his voice barely above a whisper. "S-Soren..."

Rajaion put on a smile he hoped the child wouldn't realize was fake. "That's a lovely name," he said. "Soren, we're going to see your mother."

Soren nodded slowly before gasping. "F-Father...?" he questioned softly.

Rajaion knew telling the truth would be nowhere near optimal, so he lied instead. "I'm watching you for a little bit for him," he told Soren. "If you're tired, you can sleep. We'll be back with your mother soon."

Soren nodded once again and closed his eyes. He was asleep within a minute, prompting Rajaion to start walking further. Soren sure was shy. Plus, it was more evident now than ever before how sickly he seemed. He knew it was the fault of Ashnard for treating him so horribly. Ashnard had been alone with him for at least the past two weeks keeping him hostage to lure in Rajaion. He didn't even want to imagine how horribly the boy had been treated in that time. It was obvious he had been thrown about like a rag doll, but even worse, he looked as if he hadn't eaten much more than scraps.

Rajaion would hopefully reach Daein Keep by midnight. He hoped Almedha didn't take long to convince. The sooner they could return to Goldoa and restore Soren to his full health, the better.

\-----

Rajaion got to Daein Keep without any issues. It was past midnight when he managed to get by the guards. He thanked Ashera he hadn't been spotted and forced to explain why he was carrying the nearly dead Daein prince.

Almedha was in her room when Rajaion found her. He seemed to have come when the guards were switching out, so he somehow got by unnoticed. He didn't think on it long, instead entering her room as soon as he saw her through the small crack between the slightly opened door and the wall.

"Almedha!" he exclaimed. He dashed to her side and opened his free hand for a hug from his sister.

Almedha got to her feet and gasped. "Rajaion!" she cried, embracing him immediately. They stood like that together for a moment until Almedha realized who he was holding. She pulled away and looked at Soren with a gasp. "What happened to him?!"

Rajaion let Almedha take Soren from his arms. He was still asleep from before. Some of the color had returned to his face, but he still looked strikingly unhealthy. "I found him with Ashnard," he said quietly. He didn't know how he was going to tell Almedha that her husband had been killed at his hands. "I'm here to take both of you back to Goldoa."

Almedha hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright," she said. "I wasn't going to return home due to my argument with Father, but..." Her gaze wandered down to her son, who was curled up in her arms. "Do... Do you think things will be okay there with him?"

"What do you mean?" Rajaion asked with a frown. "He's your child. Why wouldn't it be?"

Almedha looked at Soren's forehead. "He's got a Brand," she murmured. "It's on his head."

Rajaion looked a bit closer. Hidden among the dried blood was a sign of red similar to the birthmarks of the Goldoan black dragons. Since his father was of beorc blood, he was one of the Branded.

"I hope Father isn't too angry with him. He can't help it," Almedha whispered.

"We have to go back to Goldoa," Rajaion insisted. "I don't care what Father thinks at the moment. I don't want your son to die. Ena's far better with these things than I am. She can help us."

Almedha nodded slowly. "Alright... I've missed her and Kurth. How is he doing?" she asked softly, stroking at her son's face. She set him down on her bed and crossed the room to grab a cup of water sitting on her dresser.

"He's still the same Kurth you always knew," Rajaion smiled. "He'll be happy to see you at home again."

"I know Father won't be though," Almedha murmured with a shake of her head. She left the water by Soren's bedside for when he awoke. She retrieved a bag from her closet before beginning to pack it. "I ended up with a beorc, had a Branded child, and lost my powers."

"He'll be relieved to see you. As stubborn as he is, he loves all of us," Rajaion assured her. "How much are you going to pack?"

"I'll be done within an hour," Almedha replied."Do you think Soren will be okay?"

Rajaion looked over at him. He was asleep still, curled up and facing away from them. Closer examination showed that his thumb was propped up against his lips. He was slowly getting the color back in his face, but it was clear he was still exhausted. "I hope so," he murmured.

\-----

A few hours had passed since they left behind Daein. Almedha had packed lightly so she could focus on carrying her son in her arms. Soren was still curled up against her, same as he had been when they had left. Rajaion didn't need to look back over his shoulder to see how worried she was.

He had transformed into his draconic form to get them back to Goldoa faster. He knew it wasn't exactly ideal, especially given how pissed their father was going to be, but he wasn't thinking of Dheginsea then. If he had a problem with it, he could take it up with Rajaion later on once they had arrived.

"How much longer until we get back there?" Almedha asked, doing her best to be heard over the whipping of the wind.

"An hour or so," answered Rajaion. He was growing tired with how long he had been flying, but he didn't care about that. Goldoa, Almedha, and Soren were his priorities. Sleep could wait until after they had crossed the border.

He could feel Almedha change position on his back. She pulled Soren a bit closer. He was looking better than he had a few hours ago, but he still looked like just skin and bones. He couldn't eat until he woke up, but Soren didn't appear like he would be doing that for a while yet. Almedha seemed to be quietly angered, the same sort of soft rage that Rajaion thought was most terrifying from her. She had always been a doting sister, especially when it came to their younger brother, and that was in times of peace. He didn't even want to imagine how enraged she was internally with her husband now that things had taken a turn for the worse.

Almedha and Rajaion were both silent for the duration of the flight after that. Almedha continued to cradle her son gently as Rajaion flew onwards. He was trying to think of how he could explain this to Dheginsea, but he could never come up with anything that would work in his favor.

\-----

Rajaion shifted back to normal once they were within the boundaries of Goldoa. He was exhausted from the flight, but he didn't have time to stop yet. The palace wasn't far. He was hoping they would run into Ena first. She was much more relaxed than the king. Even if Dheginsea was his father, Rajaion would be lying if he said he wasn't a little frightened of seeing his rage.

When they arrived at the palace, luck was on their side. Ena was standing in the gardens outside the castle, staring down at a few flowers starting to sprout between blades of grass. She didn't seem to notice the draconic siblings until Rajaion spoke up.

"Ena?" he asked softly.

Ena glanced upwards and gasped upon seeing her fiancee. "Rajaion!" she cried out, rushing to his side. She took his hand in her own and shared a warm smile with him before realizing Almedha was present. "L-Lady Almedha?"

Almedha didn't give an immediate response, unsure of what to say. She hadn't seen Ena in many years, not since before she left Goldoa for Daein. Instead, she pulled Soren a bit closer silently.

Ena noticed the small curled-up form of Soren and frowned. "Who is this?" she questioned softly, though Rajaion got the feeling she already knew the answer.

"This is Soren, your future nephew and the prince of Daein," Rajaion explained hurriedly. "It's a long story, but we're probably going to need to keep him here."

Ena looked up at Rajaion. Her expression said that she wanted a full explanation later, but she wasn't going to ask then. "Come on. Let's find a vulnerary," she told him, gesturing for Rajaion and Almedha to follow her. For the first time in many years, she wished they had healing staves in Goldoa.

Ena wasn't able to hold her curiosities back for very long. She frowned at Rajaion deeply. "What happened?" she asked softly. She hadn't heard from Rajaion in two weeks now, their last meeting having been before he left for Daein, and now that he had arrived back, he was with Almedha for the first time in years.

Rajaion hesitated for a moment, looking to Almedha. She seemed curious as well, but she didn't say anything. He lowered his voice before speaking once more. "I... The king of Daein is dead."

Ena stopped walking immediately. Almedha's face went pale. "What happened?" Almedha demanded.

"When I found Soren, it looked as if he had been alone with his father for quite some time. When was the last time you saw him?" asked Rajaion.

"Ashnard said he was going on a trip somewhere two weeks ago with Soren," Almedha answered.

"That's what I thought," Rajaion murmured. "He sent a letter here saying... Well... He was holding his son hostage in a royal villa near Daein Keep. If I wasn't there soon..." Rajaion dug one hand into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment. He handed it over to Almedha before looking down at Soren. "I had no choice. I had to make sure... He had a Wrymslayer on him..."

Ena had fury blazing in her normally calm eyes. "Let's take care of the boy... Soren, you said his name was?" she asked.

Rajaion nodded. "He's Almedha's son. That man is despicable for this..."

"What will Daein do now?" Almedha couldn't help but ask, though Rajaion could tell a thousand other questions were spinning in her head. "Ashnard is dead, I'm back here, and Soren..."

"We can figure that out later. Let's focus on Soren for now," Rajaion cut in. "Father is not going to be pleased..."

"He always told us not to get involved with the affairs of other nations..." Almedha whispered, following after Ena and Rajaion.

Ena didn't dare meet Almedha's eyes when she next spoke. "Ashnard is a beorc, correct?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.  

"He's the first and only dragon Branded," Rajaion answered for his sister. "I can only hope that doesn't affect him too much here."

Ena was silent as they approached her room. She opened the door and allowed the other two inside. 

Almedha scurried inside and set her son down on Ena’s bed. The blood on his head was dried into his hair now, which was a small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless. Ena and Rajaion seized a vulnerary sitting in a drawer nearby. She sat down and uncapped the bottle before getting to work. Rajaion watched her for a moment before beginning to pace. It was something of a habit when he got stressed.

“If the Daeinites can trace this back to us, they could easily declare war,” Ena whispered.

“It shouldn’t... He dropped his sword at one point. I took it. That’s how it happened,” Rajaion explained. “Father is going to be angry for sure... I have no idea how he’ll handle this if he hears.” 

“Maybe we just shouldn’t tell him,” Almedha suggested. “I can say I had a change of heart and decided to come home.”

“How are you holding up with all of this?” asked Ena softly.

Almedha was quiet for a moment. “I’m managing,” she said, though it was clear she was lying.

Ena capped the vulnerary and set it aside. “He should wake up soon,” she told the draconic siblings.

“I’m going to find Kurth,” muttered Rajaion, heading for the door.

Ena and Almedha watched him go before focusing once again on the sleeping Soren before them. Ena had countless questions stirring in her mind, but she didn’t want to ask them. Almedha was uncomfortable after returning to Goldoa so many years later. Ena didn’t want to overwhelm her so soon. She was dealing with the fact that her husband was dead, and her son was essentially comatose. Any questions she had could wait. 

It wasn't long before Rajaion returned with another draconic young man at his side. Kurthnaga looked confused as he followed after his older brother, but all his confusion faded away the second he saw Almedha. "You're back!" he cried out, rushing towards her. "When did you get here? I thought you were still in Daein."

Almedha didn't say a thing in response. Rajaion spoke up instead. "It's complicated," he said, unsure of how else to phrase their predicament. 

Kurthnaga followed Almedha's wandering gaze down to where Soren was sleeping. "Who's this?" he asked with a tilt of his head. 

"This is Soren, your nephew," Rajaion replied. "He's going to be staying here from now on. Almedha is back for good too."

Kurthnaga smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. I missed you, Almedha," he said. 

Rajaion was silently thankful Kurthnaga hadn't asked what had brought her back so suddenly. He knew Almedha wasn't ready to talk about it, and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable so suddenly after all that had happened recently. 

Luckily, there was something to keep them from talking about it. Soren let out a small whimper before opening his eyes slowly. The dragons all crowded around him, worry etched on their faces. Almedha's fingers instantly went to clench his right hand. 

Soren looked around in confusion until his gaze fell upon Almedha, which seemed to calm him. "M-Mother...?" he asked softly. 

"Are you okay?" Almedha asked quickly, squeezing his hand a bit tighter. 

Soren nodded slowly. Rajaion already got the feeling he wasn't much for talking. He met eyes with the boy and smiled gently. "Hi," he said awkwardly, not sure of how else to speak with him. It had been nearly a century since he had last been around a child so young. Kurthnaga had been the most recent dragon birth, and even so, he was over a hundred years old. 

Soren slowly waved with his free hand before looking to Kurthnaga and Ena. The latter seized something from the nearby table, which was revealed to be a small glass of water. She handed it to the young boy, watching as he took it and finished off the glass within seconds. Soren handed it back to her before looking back to Almedha. His eyes shut not long after, the sound of gentle snoring filling the room seconds later. 

"We should go and talk to Father," Rajaion said, breaking the silence instantly. "You should come along, Almedha. Ena and Kurth can take care of him in the meantime."

Almedha was clearly hesitant to leave Soren, but she still nodded and followed after Rajaion. It was clear the last thing she wanted to do was see her father, and Rajaion couldn't help but feel the same, but it wasn't as if they had much of a choice. If they didn't tell Dheginsea of their own free will, he was bound to find out on his own, which was arguably even worse. Rajaion had no intentions of telling him that he was responsible for Ashnard's death, but he would still have to explain why Almedha was home. Regardless, he was terrified. 

\-----

"Dead?" Dheginsea echoed. 

Rajaion nodded. "The king of Daein is dead. He was killed in a royal villa near the palace. When I told Almedha, she decided to come back with me. Her son came with us as well," he explained. 

"Son?" Dheginsea repeated, looking to Almedha. "You consorted with a beorc?"

Almedha was silent. 

"You lost your powers, didn't you?" Dheginsea asked. "That goes against every teaching of the goddess! Almedha, what were you thinking?!"

Almedha remained silent, though Rajaion could see that her nails were digging into her wrist as she stared at the ground, desperate to avoid her father's gaze. 

"Almedha is home now. That's what matters," Rajaion interjected, trying to ease the focus away from his panicking sister. He could tell she was nearing her wit's end. "That's what you wanted."

Dheginsea didn't say a thing. He shook his head. "What of your child?" he asked. 

"He's with Kurthnaga and Ena now," Rajaion replied. "When he was found, he had been hurt pretty badly by presumably Ashnard. It's going to take a while for him to get better. How old is he, Almedha?"

"He's a year and a half old," answered Almedha, speaking for the first time in what felt like an eternity. 

"Is he one of the Branded?" Dheginsea questioned, though it was clear he already knew the answer. 

"He has the Brand on his forehead," Almedha whispered. "He's the only dragon Branded in existence..."

Dheginsea thought for a moment before shaking his head. "You're going to be staying here from now on. I don't want anyone knowing of the existence of your son. None will know he is of Daein or Branded origin, do you understand?"

Almedha nodded slowly. "I should get back to him," she whispered. 

Dheginsea nodded silently, cuing her to go. 

Rajaion followed after her. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked. 

"Yes, I'm fine," Almedha lied. "This is all just a lot to handle."

"I'm glad you're back home. After what he did to Soren... I doubt you would have wanted to stay with him," Rajaion murmured. 

Almedha shook her head. "No, not at all. Soren is one of the most important people in the world to me. I could never... I wouldn't put him at risk like that. I suppose I can be thankful he is safe here in Goldoa... If we keep his existence secret like Father suggested, we won't need to worry about any hating him for his foreign heritage..."

"As much of a disaster as this has been... I'm glad at least a little good has come out of it," Rajaion admitted before pausing. "I missed you. Kurth did too. He was upset when you left Goldoa all those years ago."

"I missed you too," Almedha replied. 

"The future may be uncertain, but we're going to be fine," Rajaion smiled, taking her hand in his own. "Don't you worry."

Almedha responded with a small squeeze in return. "Thank you. It's good to be back."

**Author's Note:**

> Wow! A Goldoa-centric fic I've been working on for weeks but finally got out! It's about time!
> 
> This was pretty fun to write. I really need to write more for Tellius. This was a random little idea that popped into my head. It was a bit of a challenge to execute since Rajaion never really says anything aside from when he dies and Almedha is only ever bat shit wild in the games. I had to figure out how to properly portray them without seeming too out of character, but I think I did okay. Plus, I got to end this on an ambiguous note, which is something I rarely get to do due to the nature of my fics. 
> 
> I'm debating between an Ike x Soren or Elincia x Lucia story to be my next dive into Tellius. I guess we'll just have to see. For now, enjoy the dragon family content that deserved better (even if that was basically impossible due to the death of Rajaion)!
> 
> -Digital


End file.
